Once on this Island
by acadamosby
Summary: Kaoru is an adopted orphan, a child to a couple in a poor fishing community. Kenshin is the wealthy son of the richest man on the island. Two worlds, never meant to meet. But as fate brings them together, will their two worlds collide? Please r&r! (M
1. One small girl

Hello, minna-san! I hope you enjoy this story. It's an a/u, where two different worlds of rich and poor live on one island. A far cry from regular Kenshin fics, but give it a try, ne? And please review my very first kenshin fic! -Acadamosby Disclaimers: Standard. I don't own Kenshin or Once on this Island. I just borrowed the characters for a few pages.  
  
** Denotes song lyrics **  
  
Once on this Island Chapter 1: One small girl  
  
**One small girl, in a tree torn from her mother, crying in fright. One small girl, tossed by sea and left to face the stormy night. One small girl, holding tight.**  
  
A sigh of relief spread through out the poor fishing village when the sun appeared over the horizon, signaling that the terrible storm had finally ended. Many huts washed away, many peasants drowned in the angry waters. The ones who had made it through were faced with a terrible sight. Soggy wood strewn everywhere, bits and pieces of broken glass and fishing nets were blown every which way. Half of the huts had survived the storm, but the other half of them were completely destroyed. Yet the entire village had faced the challenge together, coming to the aid of those needing to be helped or rescued. People were clearing away debris, while others were gathering materials to construct new huts. The clinic was aiding to the injured, and the healthy were aiding the clinic. An entire community pulling together to repair the impoverished village. And among the hustle and bustle, an older pair of peasants, a man and his wife, were picking their way through the rubble, hand in hand, looking for people who had not received aid. Hideaki, a poor older man, who organized the fishing schedules for the village through his knowledge and experience, and his faithful wife Michiko, who stood by him unhindered through both the bad and the good. "Listen to the birds, Hideaki. The sun is smiling again. Last night, the wind almost blew our heads off!" She smiled at him, for they were lucky and their meager hut was spared. His kind eyes smiled back at her, matching the grin on her face. He opened his mouth to say something, but noticed his wife looking past his shoulder, into the tree. "Look! Up there!" She gestured quietly. Hideaki turned around, allowing his eyes to follow her finger at the tree, and to his amazement, in the branches, a terrified young girl sat, gripping onto the trunk with both arms. She wore peasant clothing, a child's simple brown top with a child's faded blue skirt. Her raven-colored hair was swept back into a ponytail, and a scruffy pair of sandals adorned her feet. She was observing all of this through bright blue eyes, which were scared, yet relieved, at the same time. "Are you okay?" Michiko asked, doing her best to keep her voice steady and calm, and kept perfect eye contact as she lifted her arms as an offer to help the poor child down. The little girl just nodded, still clutching the tree. Her husband came and helped her lift the kid out of the tree, returning her feet to solid ground. "I fear that she's an orphan," Hideaki said in hushed tones. Seeing the glint in his wife's eye, he shook his head. "But we are too old for children! We have no room and no food." But he didn't finish. The child had wrapped her arms around his neck, in a silent hug, and he found himself not wanting to let go of her. "Alright. She's coming home with us." He stood up, lifting the girl onto his back, and she clapped her hands as he gave her a shoulder ride all the way back to their little hut, while Michiko smiled happily besides him.  
  
**One small girl, everyday constantly hungry, learning too quick. One small girl hard at play She makes them smile and scares them sick And they scolded and teased and held her, and mended the clothes she tore And the hut was crowded and food was scarce, yet somehow their lives held more. One small girl, to live for.** They had named her Kaoru. Her bright radiant smile that touched her eyes made her 'parents' smile. And for thirteen years, they loved her as she were their own. She learned quickly, and was often lost in daydreams or books while she helped her mother in the garden, or her father with chores around their modest hut. And at the age of eighteen, she made her parents proud. She had become a slender, beautiful girl, who could be outgoing and cheerful, or quiet and peaceful.  
  
**One small girl, not so small, lost in those daydreams, day after day. Call her name, no don't call, her ears don't hear, she's far away. And I know that she's getting older, and I know that it's meant to be. Yet my arms can't hold her and keep her small, yet all that my heart can see Is one small girl, in a tree.**  
  
Kaoru had gone to bed early that night. She had had a re-occurring dream, born from the tales that her parents told her of her childhood. She was spared from an angry flood, for some reason yet unknown. She remembered that she had been found in a tree that morning, but what had previously happened was foggy. Yet in her dream, she was a small child, lost and alone in a pounding rain, nowhere to hide from the terrible storm. But someone gently had grabbed her hand, leading her to the safety of a large tree; its branches thick and strong to minimize the wind and rain. "Wait!" She had cried, reaching out to her unfamiliar savior. With the blackness of night closing in, and the rain hazing her vision, all she could make out was a flash of beautiful violet eyes, an encouraging hand sweeping across flame-colored bangs, only to reveal the most puzzling cross- shaped scar on his left cheek. Kaoru sat up, gasping for breath. This haunting dream was getting to her. But in the middle of the night, with the smell of rain on the air, it had seemed to be playing itself right before her eyes. She wrapped a light jacket around her, stepping quietly out of her tiny room, tip-toeing out of the house after listening to the gentle snoring of her parents, ensuring that they were asleep. She wanted to go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was out of her room. Something, she could feel it. Something was going to happen and soon.  
  
TBC.  
  
Alright, I know this chapter was a little slow, but the setting and characters had to be set. The next few chapters should be a little more interesting. Please be patient, and let me know if I've got a good start!  
  
Acadamosby 


	2. Rain

Once on This Island  
  
By acadamosby  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And to Chibi-hime, I know the spacing came out wrong. I have it spaced, and paragraphed, etc, on my computer, but it must have uploaded wrong. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please enjoy this fic, minna-san! (My first one! ^_^) Let me know what you think! Disclaimers: Standard  
  
Chapter 2: Rain  
  
**Let there be no moon  
  
Let the clouds race by  
  
Where the road meets the sea  
  
Let the tide be high.**  
  
Kaoru shivered slightly in the cool night air, the smell of rain filled her senses. She began to walk, lost in her thoughts, until she found herself near the ocean. The waves had picked up, crashing together and onto the sand, a huge difference from the lulling peace it held when calm. Clouds began to cover the moon, leaving the girl in an eerie blue light. Her sandal-clad feet carried her parallel to the sandy shore of the ocean, on the only road that ran through the poor town. A gentle wind brushed the bangs out of her face, followed by the rumbling of distant thunder.  
  
**Let there be a girl  
  
Walking by the sea  
  
And let there be rain!**  
  
A soft trickle of rain began to fall, light beads of water sliding down her face. A shiver ran down her spine, yet not from the cold. She started to feel apprehensive, thinking about going back home, yet an invisible force seemed to move her feet, carrying her further along the road. The thunder drew nearer, the rumbling felt as if it could vibrate the ground. Despite the rain on her face, the girl lifted her gaze to the road, where a pair of headlights from a car were now visible, driving down the road in her direction.  
  
'Nobody owns a car in this town. Only the rich own cars,. why would one of them be driving now? Here?' She knew she should move. But Kaoru remained in her previous pace, alongside the road.  
  
**Listen to her prayers, full of hopes and pain  
  
As she stares down the road, in the pouring rain.  
  
Rain on the road, rain on her face,  
  
Rain makes a road such a dangerous place!**  
  
"Something's wrong. oh gods, something's wrong!" She whispered to herself, shielding her eyes from the rain that was now relentlessly pounding down. The car had begun to swerve, the road not stable enough to direct the tires.  
  
  
  
**Let there be a car, racing through the night  
  
Where the road meets the sea, let her wait!  
  
Where the road meets the sea, let him spin!**  
  
She gasped in horror as the car spun, veering off the road and onto the sand of the shore. A squeal of tires, followed by a crunch of metal echoed the booming thunder. When the thunder ended, Kaoru was met with a deafening silence. Her eyes scanned the scene, and seeing no movement, she began to run to the wrecked car.  
  
"Hello? Are you hurt? Can anybody hear me?" She called.  
  
No answer.  
  
Kaoru reached the driver side of the car, fearing the worst. There was a broken windshield, broken door, broken everything.  
  
"Hello? Can anybody hear me?" She tried again, trying not to sound panicked. She fought with the door handle, wrenching the door open. The driver lay face down against the steering wheel. She peered in over his shoulders, but he seemed to be the only one in the car. With suprising strength, she wrapped her arms around the driver's motionless form, and pulled him away from the car, laying him on his back in the sand. Terrified, she slowly moved her eyes from the blood on his chest upwards, fearing the worst. No punctures on the neck, yet she gasped when her eyes met his face.  
  
**Where the road meets the sea.  
  
Let their fates begin in the rain.**  
  
The clouds had partially broken, leaving enough light for Kaoru to see his face clearly. A smooth, handsome face with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. Flame colored hair. A little bit older than her.  
  
Her childhood savior.  
  
"Hello! Are you alright? Please, answer me!" She cried, almost frantic for an answer. The man's eyes opened, for the briefest of moments, revealing clouded violet eyes.  
  
"Please." the word he had spoken sounded raspy, pained. He closed his eyes once more, sliding back into unconsciousness.  
  
"No! Please stay awake! I can help you! Please." she whispered, and then called, hoping someone nearby would help her. "A car has crashed! A boy is hurt! Someone, anyone! Please help me!"  
  
TBC  
  
Alright, this concludes the second chapter to my first chapter fic. Sorry if there are questions that need to be answered by this, but if you have any, feel free to let me know. Questions should be answered in later chapters. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. Please hit that button and let me know what you think! -acadamosby 


	3. Pray

Once On This Island  
  
By acadamosby  
  
Disclaimers: Standard.  
  
Whee! I'm so excited that people are reviewing my story! That's the correct way to make authors happy!  
  
Chapter 3: Pray  
  
"Help me! Please!" Kaoru called, until one by one, the villagers gathered on the sandy shores to see what damage the storm had done and to whom. "His car has crashed, he is injured, he needs help!"  
  
"No! Don't touch him! Better leave him where he lies. Even a wealthy man sometimes dies." Her father said, eyes trailing down to the unconscious form lying in his daughter's arms. "If this boy dies in our hands, the rich will send police."  
  
"If he lives, think of how angry the gods will be! He was meant to die tonight, and fate must take its course. There is nothing we can do." Michiko tried to reason.  
  
"The only thing that will save this boy's life is to send him back to his world!"  
  
"The only thing that will save this boy's life is me!" Kaoru interrupted. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can save him, I know I can. My life was saved so that I could save his. Please, let me help him." She asked, pleading with her parents. Hideaki held her gaze firmly, but in moments, a soft sigh escaped his mouth, his shoulders visually giving in to her cries.  
  
"I will find where he comes from." He said, resolutely.  
  
"Hideaki, no!" His wife grabbed his hand, but he only squeezed and let go.  
  
"I will find who he is, and soon. But until I return, you must care for him, Kaoru. Keep him safe."  
  
**And the long vigil began.**  
  
As the boy was moved from the sandy shore to the small mat in her hut, Kaoru had begun to wrap his wounds with bandages and liniments made from medicinal herbs. Once in a while, a small whimper would escape his lips. Sweat beaded his forehead and chest, his fever had risen and his skin was burning. She soaked a rag in the bucket beside her, smoothing it across his forehead. The girl continued to revive the dying candles, preparing to stay up with him through the night..  
  
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